1. TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an apparatus for a folding bicycle which facilitates a simple configuration, lowers manufacturing costs and is easy to operate.
2. PRIOR ART
The invention of the bicycle can be traced to the Chinese ancient time. According to legend, the bicycle was first invented by Chu-Ger-Liang, accordingly, the bicycle is called Kun-Min Vehicle.
In some areas and in the past where motorcycles and cars are not very popular, the bicycle is the primary means of transportation. As the motorcycle and vehicles and other means of transportation have become more and more popular, the bicycle is used less for transportation and more for sporting events. People generally use the bicycle for short trips.
In the modern city, an apartment for a family or an individual is rather small. Hence, there is little room for storing a bicycle in one's house. Further, it is not convenient for people who live on the top floors to take a bicycle up and down everyday. If one leaves his bicycle outside, he must face the risk of it being stolen.
To solve the problem encountered by conventional bicycles, folding bicycles have been developed which can be fully extended to function as a normal bicycle and which also can be folded to a compact size for easy storage. These prior art folding bicycles have to some extent solved the problem that conventional bicycles encounter. But the connecting mechanism used in the folding bicycle is quite complicated which makes the manufacturing cost high. Further, the operation of such controlling mechanism is also quite difficult and inconvenient. In addition, the stem of the handlebar of a conventional bicycle, folding or not folding, is fixed to the fork tube. Thus, the height of the handlebar is not adjustable for different users.